English summary: PRIMARY PCI FOR ST-ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Current ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) guidelines recommend primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as the treatment of choice whenever feasible. Establishing around-the-clock availability of invasive procedures is a considerable logistic and economic challenge. This study evaluated the first years' results of the Pirkanmaa Hospital District Heart Center primary PCI programme. The ECG from the pre-hospital interaction site was transmitted to the on-call cardiologist with authority to activate the catheterization suite with the patient bypassing the emergency room. Over a 3-year period, 288 patients were diagnosed with STEMI and accepted for primary PCI. Median door-to-balloon time was 29 minutes. The success rate, the proportion of patients with a TIMI flow of 2 or 3 at the end of the procedure, was 93.7%. In-hospital mortality was 4.5%, which was reduced from the 9.6% previously reported by our hospital in the fibrinolysis era. Median length of stay in the Heart Center was 3 days. In conclusion, primary PCI can be delivered with only short delays and low mortality if the logistics are well organized and the catheterization laboratory can be activated by a single call from the paramedics in the field.

Kiitämme Sydänkeskuksen kardiologisen yksikön henkilökuntaa tiedonkeruulomakkeiden huolellisesta täyttämisestä.